


I'll Be Home for Christmas

by arrowsong



Series: Ghosts that We Knew - Snapshots [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Criminal Minds, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 21:52:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3149576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arrowsong/pseuds/arrowsong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky and Charlie are supposed to be finally spending a Christmas together since they started dating, only for Bucky to be called away at the last minute for a mission.  Now he's stranded with Steve and Nat, whose supposed to be spending her first Christmas with her boyfriend Spencer Reid, in Russia wondering if they'll be home in time for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Be Home for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Pure, filthy, shameless Christmas fluff!

The days leading up to Christmas were Charlie’s least favourite. The stores were packed with shoppers out to buy that last minute ‘perfect gift,’ and the roads were nearly impossible with people trying to make it home for the holidays. Couple all of that with fresh flurries and icy weather it even made going to her regular coffee shop impossible. The line up just to order her coffee took at least twenty minutes, and that didn’t even factor in how long she’d actually have to wait for the damn drink.  No, when it came to the days leading up to Christmas, Charlie seldomly left her apartment.  She had a cupboard filled to the brim with take out menus, and a fridge supplied with all the necessities to last her long enough until this Christmas madness was over.  All her Christmas presents were purchased and wrapped save for one, and that one she would be picking up on Christmas day.  The only reasons she had for leaving the sanctuary of her apartment were work, or family obligations.

            This year, as always, she would be opening presents and having Christmas dinner at Dave’s house with the rest of the BAU.  Only this year Bucky would be joining her, along with Steve, Sam and Nat.  Despite being together for almost two years it was the first time they’d be spending Christmas together as a couple.  The kidnapping of a ten year-old boy on Christmas Eve sent the team to Chicago last year; they found him sixteen hours later in his baseball coach’s basement, but a massive snowstorm prevented the team from returning until the twenty-eighth. It would also be Reid and Nat’s first Christmas together as a couple as well since they started dating back in August.  Charlie invited Steve and Sam to join them this year for Christmas after hearing they wouldn’t be joining the others at Stark Tower in New York, not that she blamed them after hearing stories of last year’s Christmas fiasco.

At the current moment Charlie was enjoying a particularly lazy day on the couch with James.  She was sketching as he watched the last half of Love Actually; he fell asleep the night before just as Rowan Atkinson was trying to stall Alan Rickman so Emma Thompson could bust his sorry, tempted to cheat ass. 

“I just want to see if the kid gets the girl,” he replied defensively, referring of course to Sam and Joanna, as she hooked up the HDMI cable from her laptop into the back of the TV.

“Whatever you say, marshmallow man,” she retorted.  Despite his somewhat menacing appearance, a look that was not helped by the presence of a bionic arm, James was one of the biggest softies Charlie had ever met. “Babe, you don’t have to pretend. You’re allowed to like the movie; everyone knows you’re a ‘tough’ guy.”  She paused jiggling the cord.  “Can you see anything on the screen?”

“My reflection,” he replied popping a handful of caramel corn into his mouth.

“Very helpful,” she grumbled adjusting the cable once again.  “How about now?”

“It’s the guy buying a necklace. Wait, I don’t remember this part.”

“Okay, this is the part where Mr. Bean tries to stop Snape from cheating on Trelawney,” Charlie said getting out from behind the television.

“I know Snape and Trelawney are from Harry Potter, but what the hell is Mr. Bean?” he looked up in confusion as she sat on the couch beside him. 

“I’ll add it to the list,” she chuckled, referring to the list of cultural icons and phenomenons he needed to catch up on, on account of the whole ‘being cryogenically frozen’ thing.

They had just gotten to her favourite part, where Jamie proposes to Aurelia in the restaurant where she works, with half her neighbourhood in tow, when Steve came home.  Didn’t take a profiler to see he was pissed. His lips pursed into a thin line and his ordinarily crystal clear blue eyes flickered around the room, storming with rage.

“Pack up.  We’re going to Russia,” he announced to the room in general, but everyone knew he wasn’t talking about Charlie.

Exchanging a confused look with his girlfriend as she went to pause the movie, Bucky got off the couch and stopped him halfway down the hall.  Grasping Steve’s shoulder with one hand he forced him to turn around and explain. “What the hell do you mean we’re going to Russia?”

“Fury is sending us to Yekaterinburg. A HYDRA cell was discovered eighteen miles outside the city.  He wants all Russian-speaking operatives on this.  That includes you,” Steve replied gruffly.  He was less thrilled about the news than Bucky. Bucky hadn’t been back to Russia since the Winter Soldier incident; there was no telling what kind of psychological damage going back might do to him.  He was better than he had been in years, and Steve knew that was largely due to Charlie, but he still suffered from nightmares and flashbacks due to PTSD. This could only make them worse. From the corner of his eye he say Bucky move to argue.  “He’s insisting we do this mission now.  We hesitate and it could be months before we find these guys again.”

“Go,” a quiet voice came up behind them. Turning around both men found Charlie standing up from her spot on the couch, cradling her arms vulnerably in front of her chest.  Pushing up the sleeves of her oversized sweater, she looked to Bucky as she spoke. “Go, save the world superman.” She forced a smile in his direction.

“Charlie, I . . .”

“I know,” she cut him off, raising her hands in argument.  “It’s part of the job.”  How many times had she used that lie on him when it was the BAU calling?  Too many.  _Damn, karma really is a bitch_. She knew, better than most, that this was just part in parcel of being an agent. 

“I’ll be home for Christmas,” James assured her, resting his forehead against hers, his baby blue eyes staring down into her clover green.  Not entirely sure who he was trying to convince with that sentence, Charlie, or himself. She had been so excited for him to spend Christmas with her and her team; he hated the thought of disappointing her now.

“Just get the job done, and come home in one piece.  That’s the only promise I want from you.”

Her choice of words was rather unfortunate. Holding up the cybernetic hand he cast her a dubious look, making her laugh.  She had to laugh, if she didn’t she might just cry.

“More or less,” she wiped a rogue tear from the corner of her eye.  “Just don’t come back with another one of these, okay?” She took the metal hand in hers, squeezing it as she laced their fingers together.

“Okay,” he promised, kissing the top of her head. “How about a leg?” he popped his head back to gauge her reaction, desperate for anything to make her laugh again. He hated leaving Charlie any time, but he knew how important the holidays were to her; which made leaving now so much harder for him.  He also knew how much she worried about him, and about Steve; both of them away on a mission would kill her.  Suddenly he found himself wishing there was a murder, or a kidnapping somewhere just so she would have something to work on while he was away.

“Get going, before I come up with something ridiculous to charge the both of you with, and have you arrested so you can’t leave.”

Chuckling, and smirking to himself Bucky sauntered into the bedroom to get ready.  They all knew Charlie was physically out matched by the two super soldiers, but the thought, and intention, was sweet.  Though, despite her smaller size, he had seen her tackle and wrestle down guys almost twice her size – she could hold her own in fight.

 

Both men were ready to leave in under fifteen minutes.  Changed into their tactical uniforms with their own version of a ‘go bag’ in hand they stopped at the door to say their good-byes. 

“I love you,” Bucky mumbled into her hair before giving her a kiss goodbye.  There was so much else he could say, and wanted to say, but there was only one thing he needed her to know in that instant, and that was how much he loved her.

“I know.  I love you too,” she replied wrapping her arms around his neck, a lump formed in her throat as she said the words.  Mentally she forced herself to let go and looked to Steve.  “Keep an eye on him, okay?” she said in a low whisper.  She worried, the same way Steve worried, about the idea of Bucky returning to Russia, chasing HYDRA in Russia.  Bucky, HYDRA and Russia, the whole thing made her uneasy.

“I promise, I won’t let the jerk out of my sight,” Steve promised with a smile.  “Cheer up Charlie.  If everything goes according to plan, and it will, we’ll be home in three days.”

She kissed Steve on the cheek, the same way she always did when he left on a mission.  He had unwittingly become the protective brother in law she adored and looked to for comfort when it came to James.  “Be careful, both of you,” she warned though her voice cracked.

Ready, Steve stepped out the front door eager to get this done and over with, but Bucky lingered.  “I don’t want to go,” he looked back at Charlie in his old sweater.  She wore his clothes more than he did; they looked better on her too.  “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Go,” she urged, even though they both knew she didn’t mean it.  “The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come home,” she reasoned.

He stepped back towards her, wrapping his arms around her for one last embrace.  He held her tightly; terrified of what might happen when he let her go. Instead he gripped her tighter, imbuing everything he felt for her in that single embrace.  “Save me a kiss under the mistletoe, okay?”

“Okay,” she promised burrowing her face in his neck so he wouldn’t see the tears pricking her eyes.  Stepping back, she watched from the door as her boys walked down the hall towards the stairs.  Only Steve turned around to wave good-bye, James kept his head down and pushed forwards.  He had to, otherwise he’d turn right around and never leave, and she knew that.

Closing the door behind her, Charlie picked up her cell from the counter top and dialled the number of the only other person she knew who would be feeling as miserable as her.  Spencer.  Patiently she waited for the phone to ring, knowing better than to try and reach him on his cell when he was at home; she called his landline, hoping for a response. Out of habit she headed towards the balcony, where she’d watch them depart for good.

The balcony door refused to slide, evidently the apartment itself was as stubborn as its occupants, so Charlie cradled the phone between her ear and neck and she used both hands to force the damn thing open.  As she struggled, ‘grease balcony door’ was immediately added to her mental list of things that needed to be done around the apartment.  After several seconds of grunting, pulling, and praying that Spencer did not choose now to be the opportune time to answer his phone for fear that he might think she was in labour, the door began to move.  Once she finally managed to pry the door open far enough she stepped out onto the snowy balcony. The snow instantly soaked her sock feet; though fortunately it was so cold her feet were instantly numbed, along with the rest of her body; she hardly noticed.  Leaning on the rail she kept her eyes peeled for Nat’s car as she came by to pick the boys up.

Just as she spotted the familiar black car drive up Reid decided to answer his phone. “Hey, it’s me,” she said softly like a whisper lost in the wind. 

“Charlie,” Spence greeted her, not entirely surprised to be hearing from her. 

“Can I stay with you?” Her voice softened to a frighten child’s whisper.  “I can’t be here,” She bit back the tears, though she knew he’d still hear the strain in her voice, “not with both of them gone.  I just can’t.  I’ll go mad.”

“Yeah, come on over.  I was just going to watch some Doctor Who reruns. I can make some popcorn if you want?”

“I’ll bring the take out menus?”

“Deal,” Spence agreed.  Both of their moods started to lift immediately. A night on a different couch with sci-fi reruns, her best friend, and some greasy take out was exactly what Charlie needed to lift her spirits.  She had the feeling Spence needed this as much as she did, especially after what he said next.

“Has Nat arrived yet?” 

“Yeah, she just pulled up.  Steve’s noticed her, and he’s giving James a nudge,” she continued to narrate the events in real time for Spence. “They’re getting into the car. Oh shit . . . ow!”

“What happened?” asked Reid, concerned by the scuffle followed by a loud thud he heard in the background.

“They looked right at me, so I hid behind my balcony railing.” Whoever said old habits died hard sure said a mouthful; she was acting like some kind of novice James Bond wannabe.  No one would believe that she spent ten years working undercover with some of the most fearsome mobsters in Boston, and lived to tell the tale.   

 “Isn’t your balcony railing made of glass?”

“Yep,” Charlie admitted with a groan. “I also may have slipped on ice and smacked my head against the glass.”  She winced at the stinging pain coming from her forehead. “Fucking hell, that hurt. I can’t get a concussion from that can I?”

“Just a reminder, though my title is Doctor Reid, I’m a PhD not an MD.” He chuckled.  “Didn't you use to work in undercover?”

“Shut up,” she growled at him rubbing the spot throbbing on her forehead where she made contact with the rail. A few curses slipped out in Russian - a habit she picked up from James.

 _Bzzzzt._ The phone vibrated in her hand, indicating there was a new text waiting for her though she was pretty sure she knew who it was from, and what it would say.  Never being one to bear the weight of suspense, Charlie waited for Reid to start up on one of his long-winded spiels before checking the texts on her phone.  Swiping to the left and drawing the familiar pattern on her phone, she unlocked the two missed messages from James. 

The first was a simple, ‘ _You’re a dork’_ clearly referring to the unfortunate incident where she panicked at the thought of being spotted and decided to hide from her boyfriend, and his friends behind their glass railing. She could not argue with his assessment there.  She was a dork.The second was sent less than a minute later after it was clear she’d hit her head as a result of event A.   ‘ _Are you fucking kidding me?_ _We haven’t even gotten onto the highway yet.  I can’t leave you alone for five minutes without you getting hurt! I swear to God, if you have a concussion I’m turning this car around.  Fury can just fire me.’_

Instantly she replied, ‘ _I’m fine. Going to Reid’s for orgies and nights of lust filled debauchery while you’re gone.  Quit making Nat text for you . . . she’s supposed to be driving. Tell her Spencer says hi.’_ Spencer didn’t say hi, but she knew he’d want that sentiment expressed if he knew she was not in fact listening to him intently, but was texting her boyfriend instead _._ With text messages sent, Charlie retuned to her call in progress with Spence, after receiving another text from James saying: ‘ _very funny smart ass.’_ Cutting Reid off, she promised to talk about whatever he was carrying on about more once she got over there, but she still had a train to catch.

Hanging up the phone she threw a few things into her go bag, and packed a second bag full of her Christmas presents. She had a distinct feeling that she wouldn’t be coming back to the apartment before Christmas. After one last scan she locked the door behind her to go and brave the cold as she made her way to Spencer’s.

 

* * *

 

 

Three days.  That’s what Steve said to her as they left. _“If everything goes according to plan, and it will, we’ll be home in three days.”_ That was four days ago, they were a full day late with no word from any of them. _So, where the hell are you?_ She wondered, pacing frantically along the hardwood floors lining Dave’s living room, waiting for Phil to get back to her.  After a lovely home cooked meal Dave finally suggested that Charlie or Reid call someone at SHIELD who might have some information as to the whereabouts of their loved ones.  Charlie called Sam and Phil while Reid called Tony, Bruce and Clint.

Tomorrow was Christmas, and the team was slowly starting to come together for their umpteenth Christmas together. Charlie and Reid arrived at Dave’s house in the country the night before, after not hearing a single word from SHIELD Spence thought it safest to get Charlie out of the city where she was ripping her hair out panicking.  As it was she had made herself so sick from anxiety that she threw up twice on the drive from the city to Rossi’s, and a third time shortly after they arrived.

It wasn’t that they were late that had Charlie spiralling out of control to the point where Dave swore if she cleaned his bathroom one more time he was tying Charlie up to the chair and turning on the trashiest TV show he could find and force her into watching it, and he had a lot of channels.  Emily arrived earlier that afternoon, Derek and Penelope would be arriving later that evening whereas JJ, Will Henry, Hotch, Beth and Jack would be coming Christmas morning after opening their own presents at home – they figured it would be easier for the kids to open the gifts from their parents at home and avoid any jealousy.  Besides, all the godparents bought enough to spoil the boys as it was considering they were Garcia, Reid, Dave and Charlie. 

It was the not hearing from them that sent ripples of ice cold, suffocating, nauseating dread straight to her heart. Neither James, nor Steve, not even Nat had contacted them to let them know what was going on; this left Charlie alone with her imagination, which, considering her line of work was not something that should be allowed to happen, ever.  The very thought of any one of them tied to a chair in some abandoned warehouse forced to watch the torture of their friends, had Charlie running for the nearest toilet.

“Phil?” she spoke anxiously, answering the phone the second she saw Coulson’s name flash across the screen. “What do you have?”

“I’m sorry Charlie.  I don’t know what to say.  All we know right now is that they’re still in Russia. We have everyone that we can spare looking into this.  We’ll get them home.”

Her lips pulled into a tight, thin smile as her brows lowered and the fist of her free hand clenched.  The next words to come out of her mouth garnered the attention of the entire room – only Dave had no idea what she’d said in that eerily calm and steady voice.  Prentiss blanched as she looked up from her seat by the fire, mouth open and eyes wide, judging from that reaction, Rossi could guess that whatever Charlie had just said was not very nice, and very graphic.

Reid stepped over next to Charlie and gently worked the phone from her hands.  He had just finished his calls to Agent Barton and Dr. Banner who was coincidently staying with Tony Stark, neither party knew anything of use.  Phil was their last chance. 

“Agent Coulson, hello,” Spencer spoke into Charlie’s phone.  “If your Russian is a little rusty, Agent Rhys just depicted a very imaginative, very detailed death for you . . . No. No that’s not based off any case we’ve handled . . . If you’re still concerned you might want to check INTERPOL but as far as I can tell that is entirely from her imagination . . . yes . . . yes it was rather graphic – well I’m sure you understand the causation for her concern . . . yes . . . Thank you sir . . . We appreciate that, and I know Charlie agrees when I say, Merry Christmas.”

Handing the phone back to Charlie, Reid flashed her a brief smile.  “He’s going to look for some more agents to look into it for us,” he promised awkwardly.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Emily exhaled softly still shaken by the malice in Charlie’s threat. She was ordinarily such a sweet, kind-hearted girl, learning that there was such a bleak darkness to her, and at Christmas, was like learning Winnie the Pooh snorted crack.

“You mean you didn’t know that already?” remarked Reid, half teasing until he received a pointed glare from Charlie, which sent him scampering behind Rossi.

“Come on, kitten” Dave pulled her in for a tight embrace, the kind he use to give her when she first moved into his guesthouse and he was still trying to make her feel comfortable.  “It’s Christmas eve.  You need to relax.  They are just fine.  You’ll see.” He used short sentences to express each point clearly and concisely knowing it would enhance her minds susceptibility to each truth until she believed him.

It worked.  She calmed, only slightly but anything was an improvement at this point.  Dave had her curl up by the fire in his antique leather chaise lounge and handed her a cup of fresh coffee and her sketchpad.  Little things that would help put her back into the Christmas spirit that she cherished so much. 

Dave never told anyone, but it was because of Charlie he started these little Christmas dinners at his house. Back in Scottsborough, when she was a kid, Charlie and her dad had a list a mile long of Christmas traditions, after his arrest the holiday lost all meaning for her.  When Dave took her off the streets, and brought her here to live, he did everything he could think of to try and give Charlie a sense of family.  That’s how their Sunday dinners started, but also Christmas. 

Every year since he came out of retirement Dave invited the BAU to spend Christmas at his house so Charlie would have the notion of family being around her on the biggest family based holiday of the year.  He recalled Jason use to take her to the opera every year for Christmas Eve. The first year she nearly cried when Jason gave her the ticket, she was so excited to be actually going out to the Met. For someone who grew up in a small town deep in the south it was the ultimate emblem of sophistication.  She spent weeks saving her money from the three jobs she held down, thanks to a little help from Dave and Gideon, and bought herself a dress to wear for the occasion.  After that every year Jason would take her to a different opera and she would always wear that same little green dress with the lace and the gold belt as a symbol of when he life turned around and how far she had come in the years that followed.

 The year Jason left the BAU, their tradition ended and the closest thing Charlie had to a Christmas family tradition she’d had since her dad was destroyed – so he stepped in with the idea of a BAU Christmas dinner. At first it started out small, just the team, and just dinner.  Over the years, however, the traditions began to grow and expand to include spouses, children, boyfriends, girlfriends, parents and people started coming over on Christmas Eve instead and were spending a few days instead of just a few hours. 

 

A couple hours later, after Morgan and Garcia arrived, and any visible room under the Christmas tree was filled by the many packages provided by Penelope.

 Reid’s phone buzzed.  Everyone knew it had to be his, because it made the same whirring sound as the TARDIS, thanks to one of the ringtones Garcia downloaded on to his phone for him for free, but that still didn’t stop everyone in the room from checking their phones anyways, just in case.  Charlie still had the phone in her possession from when she confiscated the device; Reid had, had his third eggnog with far too much Bacardi, and wanted to call NORAD to convince a couple buddies of his from MIT to fly one of their drones over Yekaterinburg with live satellite feed in attempts to look for the plane. Morgan almost had to take the phone away from Charlie when she started thinking it might be a good idea.

“You’ve reached Dr. Spencer Reid’s phone, Agent Rhys speaking.  What can I d for you this fine Christmas Eve?” answered Charlie gaily.  She didn’t recognize the number, and figured it might be one of the nurses calling from the sanatorium where his mom lived.

“Why are you answering my boyfriend’s phone?” asked an amused Agent Romanoff.

“Nat,” breathed Charlie in surprise. All eyes in the room turned to Charlie as she spoke.  “Um, hi,” she recovered quickly from her momentary shock.  “Einstein had his . . .” 

“Let me talk to her,” Reid demanded tapping on her shoulder in an annoying childish, unrelenting manner having abandoned his game of poker with Morgan and Prentiss. 

Charlie handed over the phone to Reid and took his place over at the card game.  Immediately after sitting down she pulled out her own phone to see if she’d missed a similar call from Bucky.  Nothing.  With everyone else’s attention Reid and Natasha Charlie sat and listened the best she could and try not to focus on the nausea now streaking through her system. Gulping for air she took shallow, shaking breaths unable to hear anything over the ringing in her ears and the sound of her heart hammering in her chest.  _Something. Just say something about James_ she begged of them silently.

Morgan reached over the table and held Charlie’s hand, squeezing it as he brought close to his lips and brushed it with a gentle, reassuring kiss.   “Come on hot stuff, everything will be fine,” he whispered words of encouragement to her as Rossi rested on the arm of her chair, kissing the side of her head. _Please,_ she begged to whatever God might be listening, _just let them be safe. Let him be alright._

After a few minutes passed Spence handed the phone back to Charlie.  “Nat wants to talk to you again.

Suddenly Charlie wanted to be as far from the hand held device as physically possible.  She shook her head violently, recoiling as Spence held it towards her as though it were a hand grenade and not a cell phone.  Part of her wanted nothing to do with the phone, and hearing what Nat had to say to her.  The other part of her had to know if he was safe or not.  It was Schrodinger’s phone.  If she didn’t answer James was both alive and safe, and simultaneously, alone and dead.  The only way she’d get closure would be to answer.  _Damn it._

Taking a shaky, deep breath she took the phone from Spencer’s hand.  If it were bad news that Nat had to tell her then at least she’d have her family around her to support her.  “Hello?” she said in a breathy, uneven voice.

“Charlie?  What’s wrong?” a familiar Brooklyn accent demanded to know, like a saviour searching for the playground bullies who’d knocked over her ice cream.

“James,” she cried excitedly, fresh tears of relief washing her face, _oh thank God,_ she thought springing out of the chair and on to her feet. “You rat bastard. You and Steve both! Do either of you have any idea how sick I’ve been, worrying about you two idiots? Where are you? You know what, I don’t care. Why the hell didn’t you call sooner? I aught to skin you both alive I swear to God . . . ”

She heard chuckling at the other end of the line. “Sorry to worry you doll,” he apologized knowing full well it was not a laughing matter, but he was just as relieved to hear her voice as she was to hear his.  “Mission is complete but we’re stuck in Yekaterinburg. A mass snowstorm knocked out our communications and has us grounded until it clears.  Coulson was able to get Stark to track us down and remotely bring us back online after receiving an interesting call from a certain FBI agent with a very colourful imagination.”

“I am neither confirming nor denying anything,” replied Charlie in a serious tone, though she sported a light smile.

“Bah, doesn’t bother me none. Kind of nice knowing I got a girl back home willing to threaten the upper echelons of SHIELD into making sure I’m safe.” She could almost hear him shrug with the lazy boyish grin on that stupidly handsome, smug face.  “Though I hate saying this babe, I don’t think we’ll make it back for Christmas tomorrow. . . well technically today, given that it’s Christmas here in Russia.”

“Are you safe?” She asked ignoring what he just told her.

“Yes.”

“Are you warm?”

“Yes.”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“Not anyone worth caring about,” he replied referring to the numerous HYDRA operatives that he and Nat took care of personally while Steve carried out the rest of the mission.  At least no one died this time, just a few serious, potentially life threatening injuries, but that was only if rumours about Russian healthcare was to be believed.

“Then I don’t fucking care about today, tomorrow, whatever day it is.  All I care about is that you guys are okay.  I’m at Dave’s with the team; Spence and I had to get out of the city before I made myself even sicker than I already did.  Christmas will be whenever the hell you guys come home – whether it’s the 27th of December or the 10th of January.” She paused.  “Please be home before January 10th.”

“You are so damn amazing, you know that?” she could hear the strain in his voice as he laughed on the other end of the phone.

“Yeah, you keep saying that,” she made a sound that was somewhere between a chuckle and a sob.

Bucky sighed.  “Looks like I have to go babe, Nat wants her phone back. Just remember, I love you and I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“I love you too,” she smiled sadly, not wanting to give up her one connection to James on Christmas.  “And tell Steve I love him as well, in a big brother kind of way,” she added feeling guilty that Steve had no one to call except for maybe Sam.  She handed the phone back to Reid and walked back towards the card game, where Dave and Garcia waited for Charlie with arms open and waiting for a hug. 

Reid returned a couple minutes later, wrapping his spindly arms around Charlie, squeezing her as tight as his slight frame would allow.  “Bucky told me to give you this,” he whispered in her ear.

Smiling Charlie grabbed his arm and held it affectionately as they sat in the dying light of the fire. For the first time since James walked through the door, it was starting to feel like Christmas.

 

* * *

 

The following morning, Charlie woke like she did every Christmas morning, bright and early with a feeling of light and excitement radiating warmth in the pit of her stomach.  Tossing aside the blankets she slid her feet into her pink fleece slippers before getting out of bed.  She remembered the floors of the guesthouse were always cold, but in the winter, when there was snow on the ground, they were worse than ice.  To walk on them without some kind of protection was simply asking for a very rude awakening; it was a lesson Charlie learned her first winter with Dave.  When Spence told Dave they were coming a couple days early, he cleared out her old rooms in the guesthouse while making up the guest rooms inside the house for Reid and the others.

Everyone agreed the night before not to do the gift exchange until everyone arrived that afternoon.  There was still one more thing Charlie had to pick up, and there was a message waiting on her phone to say that it would be waiting for her at the train station at eleven, two hours earlier than expected. Excited by this new development Charlie dressed in an oversized Christmas knit sweater and a comfy pair of skinny jeans and of course a jaunty Santa hat, before sliding on he riding boots to greet everyone inside.

When she opened the sliding glass doors at the back of the house leading into the kitchen she was hit by the sweet, mouth-watering smell of home made, fresh baked cinnamon buns and the smell of mulled wine boiling on the stove stop, along with the standard fresh brewed coffee.

“Merry Christmas, kitten,” Dave greeted her stepping in to the kitchen, dressed in a crisp zip up turtle neck sweater and fresh pressed tan slacks with a matching Santa hat perched on top his head to add a festive edge.

“Merry Christmas, Dave,” she grinned wrapping her arms around him in a big hug.  Reid had been up for a couple hours, and was sitting in the main room enjoying his third cup of coffee flavoured sugar.  Prentiss joined them twenty minutes later dressed in a festive holiday blouse and skirt.  Morgan and Garcia were the last to wake.  By the time they rolled out of bed and looked presentable enough to join everyone in the kitchen, breakfast had been eaten, and Hotch, along with Beth and Jack were sitting in the living room playing with the new Avengers complete figures set, and the Bucky Barnes action figure he bought several weeks earlier when Charlie took him to the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian.

At half past ten Charlie excused herself from a lively Doctor Who debate between Reid and Garcia as to who was the best companion in the reboot series to go and pick up her remaining gift from the station.

“I won’t be more than an hour,” she promised Dave, bundling herself in her jacket and scarf, even sliding on her old fingerless gloves – the ones she wore back when she lived on the streets. She still kept them as a reminder of where she’d been, and how far she’d come.  She had a lot of reminders like that.

“I’d just feel better if one of us went with you,” argued Dave.

“Well it wouldn’t be a surprise then, would it,” she patted his chest with a broad smile on her face as she dug her keys out of her pocket.

 

* * *

 

After the twenty-minute drive into town, and another ten minutes wandering around the train station she found what she was looking for sitting alone on the platform.

“Uncle Gideon,” she called out.

Looking up from his coffee and morning paper, Jason looked up from where he sat and smiled.  Getting up from his seat Jason opened his arms and held Charlie as she flew down the platform to give him a welcoming hug.

“Merry Christmas Charlie,” he greeted with a fatherly smile as she crushed his ribs with her embrace. 

“Merry Christmas,” she breathed squeezing even tighter.  Jason Gideon at Christmas dinner was Charlie’s big gift to the team.  None of them had seen Jason since he walked away from the job almost a decade ago.  Charlie was the only member of the team that Jason kept in contact with after he left the BAU due to their deeply personal history, a fact he swore her to secrecy over.  After weeks of begging and pleading she finally managed to convince him to come back, just for a visit, so everyone could see how he was doing.

“You ready to go?” she asked stepping back from the hug.   

Jason nodded without saying much. He held out a cup for her. “Here, it’s hot chocolate. I remember you like hot chocolate.”

Charlie graciously accepted the cup and took a sip, it was awful train station hot chocolate – just like the kind he use to buy for her when they’d go to the opera.  She loved it.

Holding out an arm for her, Gideon picked up his solitary suitcase and together they walked back to her truck for the drive back to Dave’s where the rest of the team would be waiting for them.

At some point during the drive, Jason looked over at Charlie from the passenger side seat.  “You’re seeing someone,” he observed with a chuckle and warm smile.

Chuckling she stole a quick glance in his direction.  “And how did you know that?” she wondered with a twinkle, certain she must have made mention of James in one of their correspondences over the last two years.

“It’s your eyes.  They’re brighter than before, less guarded.” He observed.

“I forgot who I was talking to,” she smiled looking back at the road.  Gideon had been one of the best profiler’s the bureau had ever seen; they lost a great agent the day he walked away from it all.  “Yeah, I’m seeing someone.  We’ve been together little over two years now, living together and everything.”

"Same one we talked about the last time I saw you?"

"One and the same," she confirmed with a light blush.

“Am I finally going to meet this young man of yours at dinner tonight?” asked Jason eagerly. 

“No,” she sighed softly.  “He wanted to be here, but he and his team are stranded in Russia after they were called away on a last minute mission.”

“He’s an agent?” asked Gideon surprised. “I would have thought he was a soldier, given the dog tags you’re wearing under your sweater.”

“He was,” she agreed, taking a long turn down the winding country road.  “He got out of the military, and works for an agency.  You ever hear of SHIELD?”

“You mean that agency involved with the alien attack in New York a few years back?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded.  “He works for them now. It’s . . . complicated.”

“I’m impressed,” Jason nodded as he processed the information.  “I wish I could meet him, he sounds like a very interesting young man.  But more importantly, he makes you smile.” Reaching over the centre consol, he took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.  Sometimes it was still hard to believe he had ever left.  Felt like just yesterday he was taking her to the opera for the very first time.

 

* * *

 

When Charlie and Gideon pulled up the drive a little while later everyone else they were expecting had arrived and were waiting in the drive.  The mixed looks of surprise, confusion and tears were enough to make Charlie’s entire Christmas.  Things only got better when Jason explained that it had been her idea for him to join them for Christmas.  With her BAU family finally all together, the first time in years, Charlie followed everyone inside to sit down for their gift exchange, even though Reid insisted that no one would be able to top Charlie’s gift this year; a sentiment that several others shared, Garcia warned for them to just wait and see. 

Just as they sat down to open their presents there was a knock at the door.  Immediately Charlie and Dave exchanged confused glances, until she remembered that Sam hadn’t gone to Russia with the rest of the team.  Quickly popping up from her seat next to Reid and Gideon, Charlie opened the door to find Sam, along with Clint and Bruce holding arms full of presents.

“Merry Christmas Charlie,” Sam leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek.  “Hope you don’t mind but when I found out these two were spending Christmas alone in Stark towers, I invited them over to celebrate with us.”

“Of course we don’t mind,” she beamed, stepping aside to let them in.  We have more than enough room, and food for everyone.”  Closing the door behind Clint and Bruce she gave each one of them a warm hug.  “You guys are just in time actually, we just sat down to open presents.”

Coming into the living room Charlie quickly ran through the list of introductions before helping Clint distribute the presents.  Naturally Jack and Henry sat in awe of the three superheroes and immediately begged for autographs, drawing a blush to the trio’s faces.

“First gift goes to Charlie and James,” announced Hotch setting a massive box at her feet.  “This is from all of us at the office – because we know how much you like old things.” He added with a faint trace of the rarely seen Hotch smile.

“Oh dear Lord, what is this,” she mused ripping off the wrapping paper with no ceremony or grace.  She’d never been the type to believe in preserving wrapping paper – she was very much of the ‘shred it until it’s gone’ mentality.   “Are you serious?” she asked looking at the vintage record player.  The thing had to be as old as her boyfriend, at least. “I have enough antiques in my apartment as it is thank-you very much.”

“I’m telling Barnes you said that,” barked Clint as he laughed. 

“Hey, you try living with those two. I have a hard enough time trying to modernize that place.  Seriously, James can work an RPG or SMG like it’s nothing, but God have mercy on us all should he try to text.  Took him six weeks to learn how to make the little smiley face using a colon and parenthesis.”

“It’s physiologically easier to pull a trigger than it is to text,” argued Reid.

“Yeah, you’re a fine one to talk there, grandpa,” laughed Garcia.

“I hate that we have to use those smart phones now at the Bureau,” complained Reid, sulking at the foot of Charlie’s chair. “I miss my flip phone.”

“You do realize that the only people this day in age using flip phones are little white haired grannies who think that touch screens are the work of the devil, and still refer to the internet as ‘the Google’, and hipsters who think that they’re ‘oh so vintage,’” teased Charlie.

“My gift is next,” cried Penelope effectively preventing Reid from making a rebuttal.  Getting up from her seat she handed an envelope to her husband. “This is for you my sweet Derek Morgan.”

Derek opened the envelope and looked at the card inside.  Confused, he looked back to Garcia, holding up the picture from inside the card. “Does this mean what I think it means?” he asked, eyes glassing over with tears of joy.  The entire room exploded when Garcia nodded, tears of her own streamed down her face.

Charlie could see from across the room the blown up picture of a pregnancy test with the little blue plus sign. This time next year there would be a little baby Morgan joining them around the Christmas tree. Everyone got up to congratulate the expecting couple before settling back down to continue with their merry little exchange. 

 

* * *

 

By the end, when the tree was barren aside form the presents for Steve, James and Nat.  Charlie had received a brand new sketchpad with several top quality pencils in a wide array of colours, a couple new sweaters, a cooking for dummy’s cookbook, numerous movies to watch, some new books in numerous genres, and tickets to the Opera for her and Jason to go come the New Year.  While everyone with the ability to do more than boil water and toast bread migrated to the kitchen to get to work on Christmas dinner, Charlie curled up on the chest looking out the spacious bay windows. Her new sketchpad sat nestled in her lap, with a drawing half ignored as she stared out on to the snowy drive.

“Here, thought you might want this,” Reid held out a cup of coffee towards her.

Making room for him to join her, Charlie shuffled down before accepting Reid’s offering.  “Thanks,” she mumbled before taking a sip.

“It’s stupid, but I keep expecting them to come up the drive way, just appearing out of nowhere,” Spencer laughed awkwardly.

“It’s not stupid,” she sighed looking up at him. Setting the coffee down on the floor she tossed a little corner of the blanket she’d used to curl up under and stay warm, in his direction.  “I keep expecting them too.”

“I hope they’re okay.  I mean I know they are, we just talked to them . . .”

Charlie cut Reid off by scooting down closer towards him, curling up in his arms.  Smiling, Reid held her as she whispered, “They’re tough Reid; all of them.  If they say they’re safe then we just have to believe they’ll be okay.”  They sat in silence before she added, “it’s ironic, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Doing what we do, you’d think we would be the best equipped to handle what it’s like dating an agent, being ones ourselves knowing what it’s like, and its that very thing that makes us the most ill equipped to handle dating an agent.”

“Because we know,” exhaled Spence. “We know just how dangerous it is out there in the field, how there’s that unspoken reality that every time they step out the door there is a very real chance it could be the last time you ever see them again.”

Smiling bitterly, she looked at him, recognizing the worry in his voice.  “You really like her, don’t you?  Nat.”

“It’s more than that.  Charlie, I think I’m in love with her.”

“Have you told her?” asked Charlie, feeling as giddy as she did as a girl talking to her friends about their crushes at the weekend sleepover.

“No,” he sighed bitterly.  “Given Nat’s history, I don’t want to rush things with her and lose her." Toying with his cup nervously he looked up at her and asked, "when did you first know that you loved James?”

“Hmm,” Charlie leaned back, back on her side of the window, and pondered for a moment.  “Probably about the second month we were officially dating,” she grinned, reflecting back on the memory.  “He had come over to walk me to Pinkberry, like he did every night because he didn’t like the idea of me walking out at night by myself – FBI agent or not.  He held my hand as we were walking.  And I just remember looking over at him as he was saying something, and I just knew. I couldn’t wipe this dopey smile off my face; it was like someone had stuck a hanger in my mouth. That’s when I knew it.

 I didn’t say it right away; it took some time for me to get use to the fact that I was in love, plus I was afraid that if I said something out loud then I'd jinx it or something. After all, I hadn't been in love with anybody since Andy when I was fifteen. I think I waited another month or two before telling him.  He just returned from that mission in Korea, and it just kind of came tumbling out.  I’ll never forget the look on his face,” she looked away shyly. It felt strange to be sharing something so personal, even if it was with Reid.  The way James’ entire face lit up, and the grin splitting his handsome face grew even larger as he kissed her, swearing he loved her too, was something engrained in her memory.  It remained one of the single best days of her life, ranking up there with the day Jason found her on the streets and brought her home, when she met Spence, graduated from the academy and joined the BAU. All of the best days in her life involved her family.

“Ack, what is this?” cried Penelope stalking towards them in full winter gear, including a set of sparkly pink earmuffs in the shape of hello kitty.  “No. You two need to stop acting like two gloomy Gus’.  Now get off your perfectly peach shaped behinds, and come build a snowman with Morgan, Jack and me.” 

Charlie knew better than to argue with a pregnant woman.  That was a sure fire way to lose a hand, or a head.  Setting the empty coffee mug on an abandoned table she got up and dressed for an afternoon out in the snow.  Bruce and Clint decided to join in on the outdoor activities and bundled up to join the others outside. 

 

* * *

 

Outside, in the icy fresh air, Charlie found her holiday spirit renewed once again as she helped Henry roll a giant ball to form the snowman’s stomach.  Reid and Garcia were already working on the next member of their snow family when all four of them were pelted with snowballs.  The ball hitting Charlie nailed her in the back of the head, knocking the knit hat right off her head.

“Clint!” She bellowed, looking around. There were no signs of the SHIELD agents when she turned around.  Morgan had gone missing as well.  Exhaling angrily she turned back to continue her work on the man. Another snowball sailed threw the air, hitting her in the exact same spot as the first, knocking the hat she had just replaced on her head off once again.  Turning around once more there wasn’t a soul in sight, though she thought she saw someone dart around the side towards the front of the house.   Silently indicating to Garcia and Reid that she was going to investigate, Charlie tiptoed around the other side of the large house.  Armed with a snowball of her own, ready to be fired at a seconds notice, she came around to the front of the house when she suddenly froze, dropping her ammunition where she stood. 

A dark haired man, dressed in a handsome long black peacoat, with black jeans and red plaid scarf stood with his back to her, and a snowball in the palm of his bionic hand.   From the corner of her eye she could see a strange car parked behind her truck with a couple familiar figures unloading things from the trunk.

“James?” she asked in disbelief, unwilling to trust her eyes.

Hesitantly, the man turned around to reveal a large impish grin painting his face.  The second his blue eyes locked on hers, the snowball dropped from his hand, waiting for her to respond.  “Surprise, gorgeous,” he greeted.

The shock hit Charlie like a swift kick to the stomach, she could hardly breath as she tried to process what she saw before her.  Without word or warning she ran, as fast as her feet would carry her, down the driveway towards him. Throwing her arms around his neck she flew into his arms, needing to feel them wrap around her. Five days felt like an eternity after what they’d been through. 

The impact of her body crashing into his had Bucky staggering back slightly as he caught Charlie in his arms, trying to fight the tears from stinging his eyes the way they stung hers.  Stepping back on some of the ice hidden beneath the snow, they slipped.  Instinctively Bucky held Charlie even tighter so he’d take the brunt of the fall as they rolled from the drive into the yard.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a panic, concerned for he welfare.

“No,” she cried looking down at him from where she lay on top his broad chest. 

It took a second for him to realize she wasn’t talking about the fall.  Smiling he pulled her down for a long, impassioned kiss.  He missed kissing those lips.  A single day without was too long – five was hell. Playfully she nipped at his bottom lip as his tongue glided over hers before she allowed him to ravage her mouth entirely. The entire world seemed to stop and time froze.  The only grasp on reality they had was each other; everything else seemed to pass from mind.    

“Charlie?” Reid called for her, rounding the corner in the front yard.  He and Garcia worried when Charlie didn’t return from trying to find the culprit behind the snowball attacks.  He had only just spotted the two figures laying in the snowy front yard kissing, when he heard a familiar, silky voice purr, “Special delivery.”

Turning around Reid spotted Natasha leaning against one of the marble columns in Rossi’s front door.  “Tasha,” he grinned seeing her dressed in a slink, form fitting red dress and black tights with match heels.  Closing the distance between them he pulled her into his arms for a passionate kiss that could rival the kind of heat being produced by Bucky and Charlie.  “I love you,” he blurted pulling back from the kiss.

Nat stared up at him, shocked by what she heard, momentarily sending Reid into a panic.  “I love you too,” she smiled softly at him before grabbing the collar of his jacket for another kiss.

Charlie stopped, having heard Reid’s voice say those three little words to Nat she knew he’d been dying to say for months. Smiling to herself she looked in their direction, her heart swelling as she saw Reid and Nat kissing by the front door.  It was shaping up to be a very, very good Christmas.  Smiling back down at Bucky an idea started to form in the back of her mind. She’d only have a couple seconds for a get away before he’d retaliate, but she went for it anyways.

“I love you Charlie, you know that?” he asked.  His eyes and voice hazy with affection as he looked up at her in the pile of snow.

“I love you too, James,” she smiled.  Seeking her window of opportunity she grabbed a hand full of now and smooshed it into his face. “That is for the two snow balls to the back of the head,” she shrieked, hopping up to her feet and running as fast as she could before he could react.

As predicted, he was up and on his feet in a matter of seconds.  Wrapping his arms around Charlie’s waist as she tried to escape, he removed her hat entirely before smashing handfuls of wet snow into her hair.  Now that he hair was soaking wet from all the snow, he threw her over his shoulder, spinning as fast as possible making her scream and laugh all at once.  The sound drew Morgan, Garcia and Jack from the backyard and caused Nat and Spence to break their kiss.

Eventually Bucky placed Charlie back on the ground and they rejoined their friends.  Jack greeted Bucky with an excited yelp, and ran over to give him a hug. Bucky picked Jack up and threw him over his shoulder the way he had done with Charlie moments earlier and carried him into the house.

Once inside Bucky put Jack back on the ground as Charlie helped him get out of his winter gear.  Darting off into the kitchen to tell his dad about all the fun he had in the snow, Jack left Charlie and Buck alone in the front hall as she worked at sliding her riding boots off before removing her jacket and scarf.  

“How the hell did you guys get here so quick? I thought you were grounded in Yekaterinburg?”

“Stark,” chuckled Bucky sliding off his good shoes.  “After he brought us back online, he flew over ad helped repair the damage so we could get back.”

“Well now that I could hear them, my choices became listen to lover boy whine about not being home for the holidays or fly to Russia and fix their aircraft.  I went with the least painful option.”  Stark’s voice came up behind Charlie. 

She turned around and saw the billionaire standing behind her.  “Tony,” she greeted pulling him into a hug.  “Merry Christmas.”

“You too, Tex,” Stark pulled out of the embrace, patting her arm a couple times.  Knowing full well that Charlie was from Tennessee not Texas, he insisted on calling her Tex – he claimed it was on account of the way she played Texas hold ’em.  She never let it phase her though, she preferred Tex to killer, which Tony had called her a couple of times before learning who her father was, again he insisted the nickname was because she caught serial killers not because her dad was one and therefore she was one too.

“Merry Christmas Charlie,” Steve greeted coming up behind Stark.  “Hope you don’t mind, but we invited Stark along seeing as everyone else would be here,” he pulled her in for a one-armed hug and brotherly peck on the cheek.

“Merry Christmas Steve,” she kissed his cheek in return.  “We have plenty of room.  Clint and Bruce are here as well, somewhere,” she looked around, not sure where either of them disappeared to. 

“Charlie, can we talk to you and Bucky, in private?” Garcia asked; she and Derek came up from behind Bucky having re-entered the house from the kitchen.

Charlie shrugged and followed the couple into the next room with James following right behind her.  “What’s going on?” she asked taking his hand as they sat down.

“We’ve been talking,” Derek started, looking at his wife with a smile. 

“And it would mean so much to both of us, if you guys would be our baby’s godparents.  Charlie I know you’re already Jack’s godmother, but your like my own sister and I couldn’t imagine leaving our little womb nugget with anyone else if something tragic were to befall Derek and me,” babbled Garcia.

James looked startled and confused, having missed the baby announcement earlier that afternoon. “You guys are having a baby?” he asked seeking clarification. 

“Penelope is two months pregnant. She told everyone, including Derek, this afternoon as we were opening presents,” Charlie leaned over to explain in his ear before kissing his cheek.   “Now they’re asking us to be godparents.  So basically we’d raise the child if something happened to both of them.”

“And you want me?” he asked still confused.

“Yeah,” laughed Garcia.  “You’re part of this family whether you like it or not, Uncle Bucky,” Garcia jabbed a long, manicured nail in his chest.

“We want both you to be a part of this kid’s life,” Derek explained taking Penelope’s hand in his.  He spoke to James directly, though the statement was meant for the both of them.

Draping an arm around Charlie, James pulled her close.  “It would be an honour,” he replied with a smile. 

“Like you seriously needed to ask,” laughed Charlie, getting up from her seat to hug the expecting couple. 

“Hey, Dave wants everyone to know dinner will be ready in an hour,” interrupted Jason, stepping into the living room. “Who is this?” he asked looking directly at James, but the twinkle in his eye told Charlie he already knew.

“James I’d like you to meet my Uncle Jason. Jason, this is my boyfriend James Buchannan ‘Bucky’ Barnes.”

“ It’s nice to meet you, Charlie speaks fondly of you.”

“Likewise, sir,” James smiled extending his ‘good’ hand.

“No need to call me sir,” Jason dismissed the formality. “I look forward to getting to know you after dinner,” Gideon then proceeded to disappear as quickly as he appeared. 

“Have you two exchanged gifts yet?” asked Garcia curiously.

“Come on baby girl,” Derek scolded lightly kissing the side of her head.  “The man just got back from Russia; he just wanted to see his girl.  Probably didn’t have time to pick things up for a gift exchange.”

“Actually Stark dropped us off at the apartment to shower and change from uniform,” James explained.  “And I managed to grab this for you, before coming here,” he grinned in Charlie’s direction, handing her an envelope. “Merry Christmas doll.”

Taking the envelope from his hand, Charlie began to slowly peel back the top not sure what to expect.  She knew this couldn’t be a Garcia type situation – Thank God.  Pulling out the card she read through the familiar messy scrawl wishing her a Merry Christmas. There was something else, however, tucked in the card.  Picking it up Charlie turned the photograph over to look at the image printed on the other side. 

The image on the other side was of James holding a young pup.  The dog looked to be a German shepherd and could have only been six or seven weeks old. Confused Charlie looked at her boyfriend wondering what the hell he was trying to tell her with the picture, desperately trying not to get overly excited.

“We pick him up on Monday, his name is CK.” James explained, beaming from ear to ear as he watched the numerous emotions play on his girlfriends face.

“Is he. . .” she choked back the sob and she grinned looking down at the little ball of fluff in the picture. “Is he ours?” She asked looking up from the picture to James, terrified to smile until she heard it confirmed from him.

“He is all ours,” James confirmed.

Dropping the card, she threw her arms around James’ neck.  It was the single greatest gift anyone had ever given her.  Growing up on the farm she always begged her father to let them buy a dog.  He always declined however, at the time he said it was because they couldn’t afford another mouth to feed; it wasn’t until she joined the Bureau she learned that a tell tale trait of psychopaths, like her father, was cruelty and murdering animals. He’d harboured his dark little secret for so long, owning a pet like a dog would have been a dead give away to the dark and twisted nature that lurked beneath his happy care free surface. She always swore she’d get a dog of her own one day, but after living on the streets, going to school and joining the Bureau there never seemed to be any time enough at home to commit to owning a pet. 

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Bucky held Charlie as she cried happy tears into the crook of his neck, thanking him over and over again for giving her the second best Christmas present that day. “I love you babe, I just want you to be happy, and I would give anything to make you happy,” he whispered back into her hair.  Their time together, he swore, saved him more than anything else. She saved him, time and time again, from HYDRA, the memories, the nightmares, and from himself.  Everything she did saved him, more than she would ever know. 

“I love you too,” she agreed. “And you do,” she cried wiping away the tears, “you make me happy.  You make me so unbelievably happy; there are times I don’t even recognize that girl staring back at me in the mirror because she just smiles all the damn time.  And that’s all you.”  

Together they looked down at the picture, smiling at the newest member of their little family.  Suddenly Charlie looked back at James as something churned in the back of her mind.  “Why CK?” she asked confused.  It seemed a little odd for a dog; she would have thought he’d name it Rex, or Steve. He’d probably name it Steve – just to piss Rogers off.

“Well CK’s just a nickname,” James grinned, clearly proud of his superior dog naming skills.  “His proper name is Clark Kent.  Figured that way, when superman isn’t around, you’ll always have Clark.”

Charlie burst out laughing as she hugged him again.  “You are such a dork,” she teased.

“Yeah, and you love it.”

“Oh, hells yes,” she agreed. 

Both Garcia and Derek had left the room by this point leaving the couple alone.  Charlie figured this would be a good time to give James his present. “I happen to have your gift here too.” She grinned picking up a thing rectangular package form under the tree. “This is for you,” she handed it to him.

Couples who live together really did become like the other.  James ripped off the wrapping paper quickly and efficiently.  He held the unwrapped gift in his hands staring down at the handcrafted book, the kind one might read to a child.  The bristle board cover read, ‘The Adventures of Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers’ and beneath the bright red title were a couple of hand drawn pictures of Bucky and Steve, pre-serum naturally, the way they looked back when they were kids.  Opening the first couple pages he skimmed through the book, he saw it was a collection of stories, all the stories he’d told her about from when he and Steve were kids. She’d written them down and done hand drawn illustrations to accompany each and every one of them.  Tears sprang to his eyes as he looked at every carefully hand drawn image. She must have been working on this for months, for all of these images to be drawn with such detail.

“Well?” she asked hesitantly. “Do you like it?” Nervously she chewed her thumbnail waiting for a reaction.  “I figured you might like something after you have an episode, something to remind you of who you are.”

“Charlie,” he gasped, heart heavy in his chest, wrought with emotion after looking at the little book.  “I love it,” he pulled her back in cupping her face with his hands, brushing her soft cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.  “I love it,” he repeated before kissing her.  “I love you.”

“Hey, how you two . . . whoa,” Clint shielded his eyes as he walked into the room.  “You do know there are kids present, right?  Let’s keep it rated PG there, lover boy,” he elbowed Bucky playfully.  “Looks like Chef Boyardee over estimated, dinner’s ready,” he added after Bucky swatted him away forcibly for ruining their tender moment. 

Taking Bucky’s hand in her’s, Charlie helped him dry whatever tears he shed, kissing his cheeks several times in the process. “Come on,” she sighed. “Lets go have Christmas dinner.” With his hand still in her’s, she led Bucky from the living room and into the dining room where everyone was already seated.

Sitting down between James and Gideon at the table Charlie poured herself a glass of sparkling water before helping James with the wine.  Looking around the room she couldn’t help but smile.  It was strange seeing Bruce seated between Tony and Derek, and Clint next to Jack and JJ, but it was nice.

Clinking his glass Gideon stood along with Dave to make the Christmas toast.  Clearing his throat Gideon spoke first.

“It’s appropriate having the BAU and SHIELD sitting here at one table.  I look around and I see this is not the merging of two agencies who have found common grounds for working together,” he looked at Charlie and her hand firmly locked with James’.  “But rather two families merging together based in the mutual love shared between equal parties, as it should be.  This is after all what Christmas is about, family.  It gives us strength, gives us a reason to get up in the morning. I am grateful to be here this day, surrounded once again by family, as it keeps growing and expanding in new and marvellous ways.”  He lifted his glass in cheers.  “Merry Christmas everyone.”

“Merry Christmas,” everyone agreed in unison before taking a drink.  Then it was Dave’s turn to make a toast.

“Today we gather to celebrate the miracle that was the birth of the baby Jesus, but even if you do not follow the Christian faith today has been a day of miracles.  Today we have seen the return of old friends,” he nodded to Gideon. “We have been blessed with the news of new life.”  Garcia and Morgan glowed as he placed a loving hand on her stomach.  “And we have seen loved ones returned from great peril with no harm.  No matter your beliefs today has been a day of miracles; I consider myself blessed to be witness to such marvels in the presence of my family.  And I look forward to the many more family gatherings we will have in the years to come.”

“Here, here,” cried Spencer enthusiastically lifting his glass once more. 

As everyone cheered and raised their glasses, wishing each other a Merry Christmas Charlie looked to James.  He was smiling at her, still holding her hand.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered leaning in close.

“Merry Christmas,” she replied, kissing him once more before beginning the delicious meal that sat before them. This had been by far the best Christmas Charlie had ever had to date, but she had a feeling that she would be saying that for the years to come.


End file.
